Dimensions of Culture and Intercultural Communication Incidences - Essay Example

Intercultural communication Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Introduction The word culture is often used in the daily talks. It is a complex word which has not been fully understood by many people. Culture can be defined as the systems of attitudes, behavior beliefs and conventions which are shared among people of a certain group. Culture helps to shape the behavior of an individual and also helps to identify an individual with a certain group of people. There are many cultures in the world due to different values (Hofstede & Hofstede 2002). Due to this many cultures there have been communication problems. People can have different meanings when referring to the same thing. This has led to communication breakdown globally. Many organizations are contemplating on improving their competitiveness and one of the strategies to do that is to practice diversity at their workplace. The effect of diversity is communication breakdown due to cultural differences which make communication an issue in the organization (Gannon 2004). In this regard therefore, this paper will discuss the cultural themes and critical cultural incidents in relation to theoretical models. Culture takes various themes. The first theme is the geographic theme. This is the cultural theme which explains how people live differently in various environments. Some people can live along the mountains, along the rivers or in the deserts. People who live in the same environment will have the same culture and the same way of communication. This is because they share many features in common and have the same values hence they can share the behavior and the way they behave (Holliday & Kullman 2004). On the other hand, another theme for culture is the economic theme. This is the theme which distinguishes people by understanding how they want things done. Economic theme focuses on what kind of jobs the people have, the kind of money they use and the kind of business they trade in (Hofstede & Hofstede 2002). The people in this cultural theme behave differently from other cultures. Due to these differences, there can be communication breakdown in communication with other cultures. There is also the religious theme. This is the theme which distinguishes people from others due to their religious beliefs. Different people can belief in God or Goddesses. It involves the belief systems of the people (Hofstede & Hofstede 2002). People can be differentiated from other cultures culturally. People of the same belief system have the same culture and have the same communication system. Due to religious differences communication can be an issue between different groups. In addition, there is the political theme. This is the cultural theme which distinguishes different cultures. It involves different systems of government; the way they make their laws and the kind of the government they have (Hofstede & Hofstede 2002). Due to the political differences and the policies between different governments, one culture can communicate differently from other communities. People of the political system have the same leader and the same laws which govern their existence. There is also the social theme. This is the way people organize themselves in groups. It also distinguishes people according to their social classes and the kind of family structure they have. The community which has the same social values has the same culture (Holliday & Kullman 2004). Their communication with other cultures can be different hence there can be intercultural communication issues between different cultures. Finally, there is the intellectual cultural theme. This is the theme which identifies people with their society achievements (Holliday & Kullman 2004). Each society has different achievements and each member is identified because of the societal achievement. In addition, the written or spoken language can also help to identify the culture of a certain people. Those who speak the same language can be identified to be of the same culture. Dimensions of culture There are various dimensions which try to explain the cultural backgrounds. Culture can be likened as in the case of an iceberg. At the topmost of the culture, culture can be likened as the observable numerous attributes that we can see from a group of people. These are the characteristics that we can see by our eyes (Jeff 1999). For instance it can be like food people eat, the dancing style of the people, the music that people play and the rituals for greetings. These physical attributes of culture have deeper meaning of the complexity of the culture. After the water line in the iceberg there are the core values of the culture. These are the primary values which are learned of what is right wrong and desirable character which can influence the behavior of an individual. Different groups which share common values have the same core values. For instance people of the same culture have the same values such as respect and honesty (Jeff 1999). The core values enable an individual to know what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. Core values are the internal forces which influence the behavior of an individual. The core values are passed from one generation to another generation even though the economic conditions and methodology may change. There are various dimensions of intercultural communication. To start with, there is the power distance. This is the dimension which shows how people accept the orders from the most respected people in the society. Different societies accept the hierarchical power in their society thus everyone in the society accepts his or her position. This can ease communication because there are clear channels of communication (Jeff 1999). There is also individualism and collectivism. Collectivism is the extent to which individuals are expected to take care of themselves and their close families (Hofstede & Hofstede 2002). Collectivism is the preference to which individuals expect their families and relatives to take of them. The culture of this dimension is reflected either as a group or as an individual. Another dimension of culture is uncertainty avoidance. This is the dimension which expresses how a society deals with the uncertain future (Romano 2001). Various societies have different ways of dealing. For instance societies in the UAI have a more relaxed attitude which is more practiced than the principles. Another cultural dimension is the long term versus short term culture. Societies which have short term orientation are more interested in establishing the truth through thinking. They have respect for the traditions and preserve the culture of the society (Romano 2001). A society which exhibits long term believes that the truth of a situation greatly depends on a particular situation. There is strong desire to show respect for traditions and to save the community’s values. Finally, there is the dimension of indulgence versus Restraint. Indulgence society is the society which allows some flexibility so that people can enjoy life and have fun (Romano 2001). On the other hand, Restraint society is the society which is conservative and is guided strictly by the societal norms. Communication in these different societies can be different which leads to intercultural communication breakdown. Intercultural communication incidences There are many intercultural communication incidences which can be recognized globally. To start with, there are the cases of the irritated Americans in India. The first case is the case of Neil Altman who is an ex soldier. He used to go to India to get some seeds and straight upon arrival he could go straight to the head guy and ask for the seeds (Hofstede & Hofstede 2002). In one occasion he could a group of people each transacting his own business and could not wait much. After being invited for tea, the team members started asking him much about the American culture. Neil had no any other choice of asking for the seeds other than being rude. He could not take any more questions so he asked for the seeds and left. In this case, there is intercultural communication breakdown. The American culture is different from those of the Indians and this led to communication breakdown. Another incident of intercultural communication is the case of Robert Lewin. He went to buy a train ticket and the cashier greeted him with his traditional means. He immediately flipped a sign written closed for lunch which in English means I can add more (Gannon 2004). After the getting the ticket, he was informed the train could not leave for three days and that it had been sold. After giving out some incentive he could find the train and was offered the train. He did not understand the Indian language of giving a bribe. In this incident, there was intercultural communication breakdown between the people of Indian and the American because of the different cultural dimensions they use. Conclusion Culture is the process of identifying people with their values. A culture consists of values which guide the behavior of an individual. The cultural themes include economic, religious, political, social and intellectual themes. On the other hand there are the dimensions of culture. They include power distance, individualism vs. collectivism dimension, uncertainty avoidance dimensions and the long term versus short term dimension. Due to differences in cultural values, there have been incidences of intercultural communication like the case of the irritated Americans in India. Therefore, there are different communications styles among different societies in the world. Reference Gannon, M 2004, Understanding Global Cultures, Sage, London. Hofstede, P & Hofstede, G 2002, Exploring Culture Exercises, Stories and Synthetic Cultures, Intercultural Press, New York. Holliday, H & Kullman, J 2004, Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource Book, Routledge, London. Jeff, H 1999, Religion, Globalization, and Political Culture in the Third World, New York, St. Martin's Press. Romano, D 2001, Intercultural marriage: promises & pitfalls. 2nd ed. Yarmouth, Maine London, Intercultural Press Read More